Lost and Found
by Nutmeg615
Summary: She had healed him all those years ago after a hollow attacked him in his 6th year. Shuuhei has found her again. His only problem is that she's human and she can't see him. How will he reconnect with her? Will she remember him? What happens when he falls in love with her? ShuuheiXOC. Please read and review.


"Whoa. You have a sword. Have you ever killed someone with it?"

Shuuhei paused in the doorway and looked at the child. "Once, but it was in self defense."

"You're not going to hurt anyone here, are you?"

He smirked and walked into the room. "No. It is not my duty to hurt anyone."

"Are you visiting someone? Is that why you're here?"

"I..." Shuuhei wasn't sure how to answer the boy. He had been pulled to the hospital, but not by a soul that needed sending. He wasn't sure why he was here. "I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know you're looking for them?"

"I just do."

"What's your job?"

Shuuhei sat in the chair next to the boy's bed. "I'm a shinigami, and I'm the editor of our magazine."

"Why do you have a sword if you're an editor?"

"All shinigami have swords. It's part of our soul."

"Can I see it?"

Shuuhei looked into the hopeful eyes of the boy. Before he could figure out how to gently tell the boy that he wouldn't unsheathe his zanpakuto, a woman stepped into the doorway.

"Kazuo, how are you feeling today?"

Shuuhei knew her voice the second he heard it. He turned and stared at her. She had to be the one that pulled him here. There was no doubt in his mind. Her black hair was cut in a short pixie style. Her eyes reminded him of the sky, and Shuuhei felt like he could get lost in them.

"Sasaki-sensei, there's a guy here with a sword."

"Okay," she began as she looked at the monitors around him. "That would explain why your vitals are elevated."

"No. He's right there. Can't you see him?" Kazuo pointed to the chair where Shuuhei sat.

"There's no one there," she told him.

"She can't see me," Shuuhei told him.

"That's stupid. Why not?"

"Kazuo!"

Shuuhei chuckled. "I'm a shinigami. Most people don't see us."

"Why can I see you?"

"Because I'm a real person," she replied.

Kazuo ignored her. "What your name? Maybe if I tell her your name she'd see you."

"Hisagi Shuuhei."

The boy looked at his doctor. "This is Hisagi Shuuhei. He's a shinigami. He has scars down one side of face and tattoos across his nose and on his cheek."

Shuuhei watched the woman and wondered if she remembered anything.

"Kazuo, I think you need some rest. You'll have to tell your friend to leave now." She turned and left the room.

"Do you really have to go?" Kazuo pouted.

"Doctor's orders."

"Will I see you again?"

"Maybe."

...

"Why was there a death god in his room?" Asuka muttered for the hundredth time while she heated up her dinner. "He's not going to die. I'm not going to let that happen."

Shuuhei watched her as she ate standing up at the counter. He had cringed at the instant noodles she had prepared.

Throwing away the carton, Asuka walked over to her computer and booted it up. She loaded a program and began to type notes from the clipboard she had brought home. These were her patient files. After she finished, she went to the search bar and typed in 'Hisagi Shuuhei.'

 _ **Name not found.**_

"I'm not in there," he whispered.

With a sigh, Asuka tried spelling his name several different ways, but continued to get the same results. She ran her fingers through her hair and Shuuhei saw flashes of purple, blue and green under the black.

She yawned and stretched. Her hand hit Shuuhei, sending out sparks. Rubbing her wrist, she looked at the spot where he stood. He held his breath, unsure if she could see him or not. She had to have felt the same electric spark he felt. She rubbed her wrist again, turned off her computer and went to bed.

...

 _"Don't you want me to heal them?" Asuka asked the young man._

 _"No. I let my team die."_

 _"But Hisagi-san-"_

 _"Just go away." He turned his back to her._

 _She didn't leave. Instead, she sat next to him on the futon. "If you're not going to let me heal them, at least let me clean them."_

 _He sighed and rolled onto his back, keeping his eyes closed. "If I do, will you leave me alone?"_

 _Asuka carefully pulled off the bandage that ran down the right side of his face. Taking a sponge, she gently cleaned the wounds. "I'm sorry you lost your team."_

 _"If it wasn't for Captain Aizen, I would have lost the first years too." He was quiet for a moment. "Will I still be able to see?" he whispered._

 _"Open your right eye slowly." She waited while he followed her instructions. "Can you see?"_

 _"It's a little blurry."_

 _"Close your eyes. I don't think the wound is bad enough that it will affect your eyesight. It goes over your eyelid, but it didn't go through. Your sight is blurry now because you haven't been using that eye. Do you need anything else?" Asuka asked when she finished bandaging his wounds again._

 _"Just to be left alone."_

Shuuhei remembered that even though he had been cold to her in the beginning, she had never given up on him. She had left him alone like he asked, but not for long. Every time Asuka came in to check on him, she talked to him regardless of whether he wanted to talk to her. She'd asked him about his tattoo, about the Academy, about the ninth division. At some point, Shuuhei started looking forward to her visits. She began to stay longer, and they talked more.

After he'd been released from the fourth division, Shuuhei found reasons to go see Asuka. He'd asked her out even though they couldn't go out until after he had graduated. He wasn't allowed to leave the Academy except to have her check his injuries. Still, they'd had their first kiss in one of the rooms in the fourth division.

Being a new shinigami in the ninth division kept him too busy to see Asuka often. They met when their schedules aligned, but those times were few and far between. Still they made time for each other. Nearly a year after he had graduated, Shuuhei was sent on a mission to the real world. It was the same mission that had left him scarred. He was apprehensive about leading a team again, but this time he came back uninjured. He had celebrated with Asuka.

When he hadn't seen Asuka for two months, Shuuhei went to the fourth division to find her. She wasn't there. She wasn't in Soul Society at all because she had died. The grief tore at him and he focused on his duties and his continued training in the ninth division to get through the loss. After the Winter War, Shuuhei found out that Asuka had been another victim of Aizen's experiments. He hadn't looked up all the details because he didn't need them. He only knew that one day he would find her again.

...

"Shuuhei!"

He smirked as the young boy called his name. "You're still here?"

"Sasaki-sensei didn't know how long I would have to stay."

Shuuhei briefly wished he was part of the fourth division so he could heal the boy before he left. "You'll be fine." He ruffled Kazuo's hair.

"I'm bored. Will you play a game with me?"

Shuuhei sat in the chair next to the bed. "Sure."

His face lit up. "Can we play chess? I just learned how before..."

"It's been a while since I played chess. Set up the board."

While Shuuhei hadn't intended on staying long, he found that he couldn't say no to Kazuo and they played several games.

"Good afternoon, Kazuo." Asuka greeted as she came to check on him. "Are you playing chess with yourself?"

"I'm playing against Shuuhei. He's the black pieces."

She bit back a sigh. "I guess if he was interested in winning, he would have moved his queen to check your king."

Kazuo looked at Shuuhei and then back at his doctor. "Do you want to play a game against us?"

"I have other rounds to make."

"Please? Pretty please? Shuuhei and I will play against you."

"One game. That's it."

She sat on the edge of the bed while Kazuo set up the board. "Why does a shinigami keep visiting you?"

"Shuuhei said he was looking for someone." Kazuo looked at Shuuhei. "Did you find them?"

"I think so, but I haven't talked to them yet."

"What are you going to talk about?"

"The past."

"Kazuo, are we going to play?"

The boy nodded and made his first move.

For the first few minutes, there wasn't much said by any of them. Shuuhei was trying to be one step ahead of her, but she had been the one who had taught him to play chess. His hand hovered over the piece that he wanted to move. Asuka's hand hit his causing sparks to fly between them. She jumped.

"That was-" Kazuo began.

"Don't say anything," Shuuhei commanded.

"I'm sorry. I have to go finish my rounds." She stood and walked out of the room.

The boy looked at Shuuhei who nodded at him. "That was so cool. There were like little bolts of lightning coming out of your hands."

Shuuhei looked at his hand. "It happened before."

"Is it her? Is she the one you were looking for."

"Yes."

"Girls are gross."

Shuuhei chuckled. "She healed me a long time ago but she doesn't remember."

"Maybe if she saw you, she would remember."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Shuuhei thought a moment. Then he jumped up out of the chair. "Lightning? That means..."

"What?"

"I'll be back, Kazuo." He walked out of the room in search of Asuka. He saw her walk into another room, and he ran after her.

"Hello, handsome." The older lady on the bed smiled at him. "If I had known you were coming, I would have freshened up."

"I'm not here for you," Shuuhei told her.

The old lady looked from him to her doctor. "Not for her."

"No, I'm not here for her. Not like that."

"Does every one of my patients have an imaginary friend I don't know about?" Asuka asked.

"He's not imaginary. I just imagine I'm close to death."

"Don't say that," Asuka frowned. "You aren't going to die."

"My dear, when you've lived as long as I have and seen as many things as I have, you welcome death. My husband left me years ago. If a nice-looking man wants to take me away from all of this, I'm willing to let him."

"I'm not here for you," Shuuhei repeated.

"Maybe not, but you can take me with you."

"I'm not leaving yet."

"I can wait a little longer."

Asuka made her way to the door.

"Tell her to wait," Shuuhei instructed.

But the older lady wasn't fast enough. Before Shuuhei could fully step out of Asuka's way, she brushed past him, and the sparks flew.

"Stop doing that!" She marched out of the room and Shuuhei followed her into Kazuo's room while keeping his distance. "Kazuo! Tell your friend to stop shocking me. It's not cute and it's not funny."

"She's shocking me," Shuuhei countered.

"He said you're doing it."

"He followed me home the other day, didn't he?"

Kazuo looked at Shuuhei and then nodded his head in confirmation.

"Tell her to hold up her hand. I want to try to prove to her that it isn't me shocking her. It's her."

"You didn't shock me earlier," Kazuo reminded Shuuhei.

"Right. I forgot about that." Looking at Asuka, Shuuhei held up his finger and brought it close to her hand. "Look, you can see it starting. It won't shock her until we touch, but you can see it's defending her."

"Defending her from what?"

"I don't know. I'll see what I can figure out." As Shuuhei walked out of the room, Asuka looked at her hand and wondered what was happening.

...

"Sasaki-san," Shuuhei began.

She jumped and looked around. "Who's there?"

"Hisagi Shuuhei."

"The shinigami?"

"Yes."

Asuka looked around for him. "How are you doing this?"

"It's a kido spell."

"Kido? Is that like magic?"

"Basically."

"How long will it last?"

Shuuhei thought a moment. "I'm not sure, but I'm a Vice Captain, so it should last for a while. I've never had to keep this going for a long period of time." He wondered how long it would take him to run out of spiritual power.

"Where are you?"

"Sitting in the corner behind you."

Asuka looked into the corner but she didn't see anything different. "That's a weird place to be."

"I didn't want to shock you again."

"Kazuo was upset that you left earlier. He likes that you come by to see him."

"Are you saying you don't like me visiting him?"

"That's not what I meant. You're good for him. His mood has changed since he met you."

"His parents haven't visited him?"

"He's an orphan. No one has visited him."

"He's a good kid. He'll be fine." Shuuhei reassured her.

"He should be. His illness isn't life threatening. Which makes me wonder, if you aren't here for my patients, does that mean you're here for me?"

"Not like you think." He paused. "I knew you when you were a shinigami."

"I was a shinigami? Were we on the same... team?"

"All shinigami are on the same team," Shuuhei told her. "But we were not in the same division. You were with the fourth division while I was, and still am, with the ninth."

"How did we meet?"

Shuuhei let out a breath. "I was injured during a mission my sixth year at the Academy. You were assigned to heal me."

"There wasn't a healer with you?"

"Members of the fourth division are not allowed in the Human World."

"Oh."

"It was a routine mission. No one should have been hurt... I lost my entire team."

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't want a seated position after it happened. I was afraid that something would happen again when I was in charge. My former captain wouldn't let me quit." Neither would she, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Asuka got up and walked over to the corner. She sat far enough away that she didn't get shocked. "Is this okay? For me to sit here?"

"Yes."

"I wish I could see you. Other people can see you."

"The twelfth division did away with gigais... fake bodies."

"Why?"

Shuuhei chuckled. "It's a long story and it resulted in a war. Other people can see me because they are still young and innocent like Kazuo. Or because they are near death."

"You'll take her, won't you?"

"If I get called to, I'll have to. It's my job as a shinigami. I'm sorry that it upsets you."

"I know it's part of life, but still..."

"It's not easy for you to lose a patient."

Asuka moved her hand closer to him. She felt the electricity spark beneath her skin. "Did you ever figure out why this happens?"

"I have a theory, but I don't know if I can tell you."

"Is it going to upset me?"

"No, but it's..." He sighed knowing he was unable to tell her it was her zanpakuto. "It's part of your soul."

"You said it was defending me. Are you a threat to me, HIsagi-san?"

Shuuhei laughed. "No. Maybe defending wasn't the right word."

"What word would you use?"

"I think..." he trailed off. "That's not good," he muttered.

"What?"

"There's a hollow nearby."

"A hollow?"

"A corrupted spirit." Shuuhei stood. "I need to go take care of it."

"Will you..." Asuka trailed off. Was it wrong to ask him if he'd be back to talk to her some more.

"I'll be back," he told her.

...

Shuuhei stumbled down the hospital hallway. The battle against the hollow had taken longer than he thought it should have. Halfway through, he realized he wasn't fighting at full power; most of his spiritual power was sealed, and he'd been using what he had to talk to Asuka. Leaning against the doorjamb, he looked at the woman on the bed.

"I knew you would be back for me."

"You also know how much this will hurt her."

"It's part of life." She sighed. "I watched from here."

"What?"

"Your battle. I watched it from here."

"I wasn't at full strength."

She smiled at him. "I didn't say anything."

"Come on. I need to tell Kazuo I'm leaving."

"You're not staying?"

He started walking toward Kazuo's room, knowing the woman would follow. "I need to rebuild my spiritual power." Stepping up to the bed, he called Kazuo's name a couple times before the boy woke.

"Shuuhei? What are you doing here?"

"I need to go home for a bit."

"You'll be back?"

"Yes. Will you tell Sasaki-san that I'm sorry?"

"For what?"

"She'll know." Unsheathing his zanpakuto, he touched its hilt to the woman's forehead. As she turned into a hell butterfly and opened a gateway, Shuuhei looked back at Kazuo. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

...

Two days later, Shuuhei walked into the hospital room and was pleased to see Asuka was there with Kazuo.

"Shuuhei! You're back! Are you better?"

He smiled and cast the communication kido spell. "I'm fine. I needed to rebuild my spiritual power."

"I thought you said you had a lot of power," Asuka replied.

"You can hear him? Can you see him?" Kazuo asked.

"I used a communication spell. She still can't see me. Captains and Vice Captains have so much spiritual power that we have to seal some of it when we come into the Human World."

"How much?" she asked.

"About 80%. I forgot about the seal the other day." He looked at Kazuo. "We talked for a while with this spell. Then I had to go fight a hollow." Shuuhei looked at Asuka. "I'm sorry, Sasaki-san. She had already gone before I got here. I took her soul with me."

"I understand." Asuka cleared her throat. "So you can't communicate a lot like this?"

"I think it was more the Hollow that drained me."

"But still, it wouldn't have been so bad if you hadn't been talking to me."

"Are you saying you don't want to talk to me?"

"No. I..." She flushed.

"I think I'll be fine if we keep it to small increments of time and have breaks in between. It'll give my power a chance to rebuild."

"Grown-ups are weird," Kazuo noted, reminding them both that he was in the room.

"I have to finish my rounds." Asuka turned and walked out.

Shuuhei closed the communication spell. "Did I miss anything while I was gone?"

"Sasaki-sensei and I played chess a lot. I won."

"Really? That's great."

"You'll have to leave again, won't you, Shuuhei?"

"Not today, but yes. I can't stay here longer than I'm assigned."

Kazuo pouted. "Will I ever see you again?"

Shuuhei hesitated. "I don't know."

"Will you take my soul?"

"I will try to be the one who... there's no guarantee." Shuuhei studied the boy. "You aren't going to die anytime soon."

…

"Do you eat?" Asuka asked as she heated up another premade meal.

"Yes."

"Do you want… I mean, can I get you something to eat?"

Shuuhei smiled. "I have already eaten."

"Oh."

"There are a couple former captains in exile not far from here. I ate with them." He watched as Asuka placed her meal on the table. "You don't cook, do you?"

"No. I'm not very good at it. These are easy and fast to make."

He studied the meal she was eating. "I could make that meal in about 30 minutes. It would taste a lot better than that does."

"Do you cook a lot?"

"I like to cook. After I graduated from the Academy, I realized if I wanted to eat well I needed to learn how to cook. Eating out gets expensive and you can't find those premade meals in Seireitei."

"So I would starve there."

"No you wouldn't. I would share my food with you."

"Thank you." Finishing her meal, Asuka put her dishes in the sink. "I was thinking about watching a movie."

"Alright."

"Is there anything you want to see?"

"I don't know much about your movies."

"So I could pick a frilly, overly girly movie?"

He laughed. "If you wanted. I haven't seen a lot of movies."

"Oh. Well in that case, I should pick something really good." Walking over to look at her movies, she suggested, "While we watch the movie, you can rebuild your power."

"I don't think I've used that much, but I could close the spell." He stood in front of the couch, unsure where she would sit.

"I really hope you like the movie." As she walked over to the couch, her arm bumped into with him. "Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Asuka sat down.

"Does it hurt?"

"No. It's just a shock," she laughed. "No pun intended."

He smiled and sat on the other side of the couch. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You didn't. You don't. It's unexpected. I don't know where you are. Your voice comes from...everywhere. I can't tell where you are when we're talking."

"I can start telling you where I am."

She smiled. "Watch the movie, Hisagi-san."

Closing the kido spell, Shuuhei turned his attention to the TV.

Near the end of the movie, Shuuhei realized it. "This is like a date," he muttered to himself.

As the credits rolled, Asuka spoke, "This is almost a date, but I can't see you."

Shuuhei laughed and recast the kido spell. "I was thinking the same thing. Except I can see you."

"That's not fair. I have no idea what you look like."

"Black hair. Grey eyes. Kazuo told you I have scars and tattoos. I'm taller than you. Does that help?"

She shook her head at him. "It helps, but it's not the same."

"If there was a way..."

"It's fine."

"Run your fingers through your hair."

"What? Why?"

"Because if I did, you'd get shocked again." Asuka obliged him and ran her fingers through her hair. "I like the colors you have underneath."

"Thank you."

"And you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."

She flushed. "Thank you. You have a nice voice. I mean, it's all I have to go by."

"I thought this part would be less awkward."

"What part?"

"The complimenting each other. I knew you before."

"I'm not the same as I was... at least I don't think I am."

"You're not the same. Your hair is shorter. It used to be just above your shoulders, but you always pulled it back. And it used to be one color. There are other differences. Not just the physical."

"Did I ever fight hollows?"

"I'm sure you did at the Academy. Once you were part of the fourth division, you didn't go on missions."

"So shinigami fight hollows?"

"Yes and no. Usually there's someone stationed here to fight hollows. They don't usually send Vice Captains for these kind of missions."

"Why did they send you?"

"I stopped questioning Captain Muguruma's motives."

"He's your captain?"

"Yes. He's why I became a shinigami and why I have a tattoo on my cheek."

"What is your tattoo?"

"Captain Muguruma has a tattoo on his abdomen. It's a six for the kanji in his last name and a nine for the ninth division. He saved me when I was a kid. I..."

"Wait. You have a sex position on your face?"

"Apparently."

She laughed. "Did you know that's what it was?"

"Not when I was a kid." Shuuhei leaned over and lightly touched her cheek. "It's right about here." He stared into her eyes and wished she could see him. His gaze flicked down to her lips.

"Are you thinking it too?" she asked quietly. Shuuhei didn't answer her. Instead, he ran his thumb over her lips. Asuka gasped. "Did you just kiss me?"

He chuckled. "I thought about it, but no."

"Good. I mean, I like to see who I'm kissing."

"I think it would be best if you could see me when I kiss you."

"And if you didn't shock me."

Shuuhei shifted away from her. "Right. I'm sorry."

"No. Don't be." She looked at the clock. "I should probably go to bed. What do you do while I sleep?" Asuka asked him.

"Shinigami sleep like everyone else."

"Where do you sleep?"

"Wherever I can." He studied her a moment. "Is there someplace you want me to sleep?" he teased. Her cheeks flushed but before she could reply, he said, "I'll sleep on your couch. If that's ok with you."

She nodded and cleared her throat. "Fine. It's fine. Goodnight, Shuuhei-san."

"Goodnight, Asuka-san."

She smiled and walked out of the room. Shuuhei listened while she prepared for bed. When it was quiet again, he flash stepped outside. He scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn't need to think about kissing her or sleeping next to her. There was no future between them; not for a long time. Even then, nothing was guaranteed. Too churned up to sleep, Shuuhei wandered the streets for a long time.

…

"Where's Kazuo?" Shuuhei asked as he walked into Asuka's office at the hospital.

"He was discharged this morning. The orphanage sent someone to pick him up."

"He's gone? I would have liked to…"

"I told him not to mention you to anyone."

"I don't care if he talks about me to other people. I just would have liked to have said goodbye."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. You weren't there when I discharged him. He asked about you, but I didn't know what to tell him."

"I was fighting another hollow this morning." He sat in the corner of her office.

"Oh. Are you…?"

"I'm fine. I took some time to rebuild before I came here."

Asuka thought a moment. "I can take you there on my break… if you want."

"I would like that." Shuuhei leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Until then, I'll stay here. I'm in the corner to your right...just so you know."

"You're fine. I just need a few minutes and we'll go."

"Thank you." Closing the spell, he listened as she worked.

"Sorry. That took longer than I thought." Asuka paused a moment, waiting for him. When he didn't reply, she walked over to the corner of her office and knelt down. "Shuuhei-san?"

Opening his eyes and looking at Asuka, he recast the kido spell. "Sorry. I fell asleep."

She laughed. "Does rebuilding your power make you sleepy?"

"No, but I didn't get much sleep last night. I got woken up in the middle of the night to fight several hollows."

"Now I don't feel bad for taking almost an hour when I thought it would just be a few minutes."

"I hadn't meant to fall asleep."

"It's fine." She stood up. "I'm ready to leave."

"Let's go."

…

As they walked down the street, Asuka asked, "Can other people hear you or just me?"

"Just you. I can do kido for everyone to hear me, but I don't think they need to hear me."

"You said yesterday that you don't usually go on missions like this. What else do you do as a shinigami?"

"There's paperwork, vice captains meetings, and I'm the editor of Seireitei Communications. It's a monthly magazine. My division publishes it."

"You publish a magazine?"

"Each division has something they specialize in. The ninth has the magazine. The fourth is the medical division. It's interesting to me that you have a similar career."

"When I was growing up I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I like helping people."

"Kazuo is lucky to have you. Will you see him again?"

"Maybe if his illness flares up again. Most likely, I won't."

"Do you think he'll be adopted?"

"I think so. He's a very sweet boy."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the orphanage. When they arrived, Asuka asked for Kazuo. They were lead back to a small bedroom where the boy was waiting.

"I'll give you some time alone," Asuka whispered to Shuuhei as she waited outside the room.

Shuuhei walked into the room, and Kazuo didn't give him a chance to say anything before he ran over and hugged him.

"Sorry I wasn't there this morning," Shuuhei apologized.

"Where were you?"

"I was fighting hollows."

"But you won?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I won."

"Will I see you again?"

"I have to go back home tonight. I don't know when I'll be sent back here. When I am, I'll stop by for a visit."

"How did you know where I was?"

"Asuka… Sasaki-san brought me here."

"Is she still here? Can we play chess with her?"

Shuuhei smiled at him. "We can ask."

Kazuo walked over to the door. "Sasaki-sensei! Will you play chess with us?"

"I would like that," she smiled.

"When do you have to be back?" Shuuhei asked her. He frowned when she didn't reply. Then he remembered he had closed the kido spell when they arrived at the orphanage. "Ask her when she has to be back."

"You aren't going to do your magic?"

"No. Then she'll hear all our secret moves," he whispered conspiritually.

"I have enough time for a game," Asuka told them when Kazuo asked.

…

Asuka walked into her home with more groceries than she had planned on purchasing. Shuuhei had talked her into buying the ingredients to make the same frozen meal she had bought.

"I should make you do all the work," she told him as she unloaded her bags.

"I wouldn't mind but you wouldn't learn. Also, would it be weird to see your stuff moving around without seeing who was moving them?"

"I guess you have a point."

"It's a simple recipe."

"I'm going to go change. Stay where you are."

He chuckled as she walked out of the kitchen. "Not like I could do anything," he muttered to himself. Although, the idea of her changing lead his train of thought down a totally different track.

"Ready?"

"Yes." He shook the thoughts out of his head and gave her directions on how to cook her meal.

Asuka plated her meal forty-five minutes later. "I thought you said this would take thirty minutes."

"I said it would take me about thirty minutes. I cook more than you do."

"So?"

"I can prep everything faster."

She rolled her eyes at him and took a bite. "Oh. Wow. Ok. This is a million times better."

Shuuhei grinned. "I told you it would be."

"You cook like this every day?"

"Most days. I haven't been able to cook while I've been here. This was the closest I've come to cooking."

"Do you want to watch another movie after I'm finished."

"Asuka-san, I have to leave tonight."

"Leave?"

"My mission is ending. I have to go home."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. I found when we went to see Kazuo."

"When?" she asked quietly.

"They are opening the gate for me in about thirty minutes." Reaching over he laid his hand over hers.

She watched the sparks. "Do you think if…. maybe if we do this for a while I'd see you."

"We can try, but you have to promise me you'll stop when it starts to hurt."

"You don't hurt me, Shuuhei-san." She didn't tell him that her heart was aching at the thought of losing him. She didn't want to say goodbye. Turning her hand over, Asuka laced their fingers together.

"Anything?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Nothing," she pouted. After about a minute, she pulled away from him. "It didn't hurt. It's just not pleasant."

"Don't push yourself."

"Where do you have to go to…?"

"Not far."

"Will I ever see you again? I mean…"

"I would think we would see each other again someday. I don't know when that will be. I should go," he said quietly as he reached over and ran his thumb over her lips. "Goodbye, Asuka."

"Goodbye, Shuuhei. I'll never forget you."

…

Shuuhei pushed his motorcycle faster, combining its speed and flash step to get there quicker. He had to get to her before... he shook his head. He needed more speed.

Asuka stood in line waiting for her turn. Of course eternity would consist of waiting. She sighed as she moved forward one step. When the shinigami had approached her after her death, she had known he wasn't Shuuhei. She wondered how long it would be before she'd be reunited with him. He had only been gone three months. Would he still be interested in her? Would he want to see her?

People in front of her began muttering, but Asuka couldn't tell what they were saying. There was too much noise coming from somewhere else. Most of them started crouching down as if they were afraid.

Someone reached out and grabbed her hand. He pulled her onto his lap as the motorcycle sped past the other people.

She wrapped her arms around him. "Shuuhei." It wasn't a question. She knew this was the man she had hoped to see again.

"I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time," he muttered. It was a few minutes before he was able to slow the motorcycle down. He found a spot to park the bike, and he turned it off. Putting his arms around Asuka, he pulled her to him. "I couldn't let you get that ticket. You don't belong out here in Rukongai." He kissed her.

"Wait. I want to see you."

"In a minute," he muttered against her lips before he kissed her again. Shuuhei took his time kissing her. He'd waited so long for this moment. Finally pulling back from her slowly, he looked at her. "Does it change anything?"

"No, but I want to know what you look like." She had fallen for the voice she'd talked to, his thoughts and his ideas. His appearance hadn't been a factor to her. "I didn't know if you...I wasn't sure if..."

"If I've spent every day of the last three months thinking about you? If I've volunteered for every mission just so I could see you again? Captain Muguruma wouldn't let me go. He always had an excuse." Shuuhei ran his hand through her hair and down the side of her face. "I missed you."

"I missed you. I kept talking to myself at home hoping that one day you would answer me."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you died."

Asuka shook her head. "I knew he wasn't you. He didn't have tattoos and scars." She put her hand over his scars. "Why wouldn't you let me heal these?"

"I didn't care." Shuuhei took her hand. "I was grieving, and I wasn't thinking about me. You might not have healed my wounds, but you healed me." He put her hand over his heart. "I was ready to give it all up, but you wouldn't let me."

Asuka smiled at him, then leaned up to kiss him. "You don't shock me anymore when you touch me."

"I didn't think I would once you were here."

"You aren't going to tell me why you shocked me?"

"I am not at liberty to give you those details." Shuuhei knew she would realize it once she learned about her zanpakuto again.

"Am I going to have to get back in line?"

"No. Taking a ticket gives you an assigned place to live, and that's when they erase your memories. I'm taking you to the Shinigami Academy. You'll train there again. I'm sure Captain Isane would love to have you back in the fourth division...if that's what you want." He kissed her. "First though, I'm taking you to my quarters."

"Will there be food there? I'm a little hungry."

Shuuhei grinned. Her hunger was a sign of her spiritual power. "I'll make you something better than those premade meals you like so much." he told her as he started the motorcycle.

"Did I ever tell you I had a thing for guys with motorcycles?"

"I am so glad I have the only one in all of Soul Society," he laughed as he began driving back toward his quarters.


End file.
